A lot of the stories that made an impression on me in the last few months seemed to revolve around and deal with death in various forms, and while this might seem like a dark and terrible theme at first, that isn’t really the case.
The unofficial theme for this quarterly roundup is “companion animals.” It felt right to choose this theme at the end of a rough and trying year when many of us have come to appreciate the animals in our lives even more than we did before, what with all the physical distancing and lockdowns depriving us of human company.
The unofficial theme for this Short Fiction Treasures column is “arts, crafts, and work.” Whether the art, craft, or work is the main theme of the story, or whether it’s there as background and setting, it can add a level of immersion and satisfying texture to speculative fiction that I find irresistible.
Platforms are not created to be equal—power dynamics tend to replicate themselves, unless there is a foundation, a structure, specifically addressing them, and a continuing conversation of checks and balances to ensure equality
The unofficial theme for this edition of Short Fiction Treasures is “family.” Family has been on my mind a lot this year, with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way we spend more time with, or are thoroughly separated from, our loved ones. Family relationships are a crucial part of all our lives, but these relationships can be both complicated and conflicted, something that is explored in this selection of stories.
